N. Chuuya X Fem! Reader: The Territory of Gravity

2 - The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency

All the clamoring about the entrance examination suddenly stopped as everyone turned around at the sound of his voice. Lined up before Tanizaki were twenty slips of paper with the numbers "1" to "40" written inside. One might wonder why there were twenty slips of paper and not forty—and that was because the articles were printed on both sides of the paper. Therefore, the number "2" would be printed on the back of page one; the numbers "1" and "2" came as a set, as did "3" and "4." And just like that, it was the very same up until "39" and "40," hence why there were only twenty slips of paper.

Tanizaki stacked the papers together before carefully sliding them into the envelope. "Okay, guys. What order do you want to draw the slips of paper in?"

Kunikida crossed his arms and spoke up. "Tanizaki, you made the lots, so it would be logical if you went last."

"What about me?" Dazai asked while pointing to himself.

"You...might come up with a filthy scheme if we give you too much time to think. You go first."

"You don't trust me at all!" lamented Dazai as he drew a slip of paper from the envelope.

"Don't open it yet."

"Why?"

"Because we haven't decided on the roles. It wouldn't be fair to confirm who lost right off the bat, yes?"

Kunikida spoke with confidence, not even giving a hint that this was all part of his plan.

"That makes sense. I guess we should all open them together at the end." Dazai gripped the slip of paper in his hand. "More importantly, Kunikida-kun, I just had the perfect idea for the entrance exam." He still had the slip held tight.

"And what's that?" Kunikida swiped the envelope out of Dazai's hands, then mixed up the contents before drawing a slip for himself.

"Well, you know that bomb I just happened to receive? I brought it with me."

Dazai pointed at the paper bag with the fake bomb he'd showed them at the café. Some woman had apparently sent it to the pub for him as a gift, but it almost escalated into a bomb scare.

"It'd be a waste if we didn't use it."

"You want to use a bomb?" Kunikida craned his neck. Yosano observed their exchange out of the corner of her eye and drew a slip of paper as well.

"Of course. A bomber will suddenly appear at the detective agency, barricading themselves inside while taking a civilian hostage. We would be able to see how the rookie handles such a risky situation. Obviously, the president will make the final call, but if he can disarm the bomb or persuade the bomber to give up, then the kid passes. What do you say? Sounds like a very detectivelike case if you ask me."

Kenji drew a slip of paper from the envelope. Usually, Ranpo would go next, but he wasn't going to be there on the day of the test, so he was relieved from this responsibility. The last person to draw from the envelope...was Tanizaki.

"Here you go, dear brother." Naomi held out the envelope to him.

Everything was going according to plan so far. It was smooth sailing from here on out. A simple drawing was all that was left.

"So whoever draws the smallest number...plays the bomber," said Tanizaki.

"Right you are," Dazai casually replied.

Tanizaki sneaked a look at Kunikida, who subtly nodded back at him so faintly it could hardly even be seen. Tanizaki was already in this deep, so he felt he might as well let it play out until the end. He drew a slip of paper.